A Closer Look
As living historians, period photographs are invaluable as we fine-tune our impressions, teaching us about material culture and life in the mid-19th century. After being reprinted generation after generation, however, photograph quality usually suffers.
Fortunately we can now view many images in their original glory! The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division has thousands of original glass plate negatives which have been scanned in to computers at a high resolution, allowing us to see details many of us never dreamed of seeing.
Here we challenge the myth that Civil War era photographs are always faded and grainy. Take a look for yourself!
